The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)

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The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia logo.svg
Official film series logo
Directed by Andrew Adamson (1–2)
Michael Apted (3)
Screenplay byAnn Peacock (1)
Andrew Adamson (1–2)
Christopher Markus (1–3)
Stephen McFeely (1–3)
Michael Petroni (3)
Based on The Chronicles of Narnia
by C. S. Lewis
Produced by Mark Johnson (1–3)
Philip Steuer (1–3)
Andrew Adamson (2–3)
Starring Georgie Henley
Skandar Keynes
William Moseley
Anna Popplewell
Ben Barnes
Will Poulter
Tilda Swinton
Liam Neeson
Cinematography Donald McAlpine (1)
Karl Walter Lindenlaub (2)
Dante Spinotti (3)
Edited bySim Evan-Jones (1–2)
Rick Shaine (3)
Music by Harry Gregson-Williams (1–2)
David Arnold (3)
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
1: 9 December 2005
2: 16 May 2008
3: 10 December 2010
Running time
406 minutes (1–3)
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetTotal (3 films):
$560 million
Box officeTotal (3 films):
$1,580,364,900

The Chronicles of Narnia is a fantasy film series and media franchise based on The Chronicles of Narnia , a series of novels by C. S. Lewis. The series revolves around the adventures of children in the world of Narnia, guided by Aslan, a wise and powerful lion that can speak and is the true king of Narnia. The children heavily featured in the films are the Pevensie siblings, and a prominent antagonist is the White Witch (also known as Queen Jadis). The franchise also includes short films, digital series, and video games.

Contents

From the seven books, three were adapted The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008), and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)which collectively grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide. The first two films were directed by Andrew Adamson and the third film was directed by Michael Apted. Plans for a fourth film were abandoned when it was announced in 2018 that new adaptations would be made for Netflix. [1]

Development

C. S. Lewis did not sell the film rights to the Narnia series during his lifetime, as he was skeptical that any cinematic adaptation could render the more fantastical elements and characters of the story realistically. [lower-alpha 1] [ failed verification ] Only after seeing a demo reel of CGI animals did Douglas Gresham, Lewis's stepson and eventual literary executor, give approval for a film adaptation.

Although the plan was originally to produce the films in the same order as the books were published, it was reported that The Magician's Nephew , which recounts the creation of Narnia, would be the fourth feature film in the series, instead of The Silver Chair . It was rumoured that The Magician's Nephew was chosen in an attempt to reboot the series, after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader grossed less than the two previous films. [2] In March 2011, Walden Media confirmed that they intended The Magician's Nephew to be next in the series, but said that it was not yet in development. [3]

In October 2011, Gresham stated that Walden Media's contract with the C. S. Lewis estate had expired and suggested that Walden Media's lapse in renegotiating their contract with the C. S. Lewis estate was due to conflicts between the companies about the direction of future films. [4]

On 1 October 2013, the C. S. Lewis Company announced a partnership with The Mark Gordon Company and announced that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair was officially in pre-production. [5]

Films

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, based on the 1950 novel of the same title, is the first film in the series. Directed by Andrew Adamson, it was shot mainly in New Zealand, though locations were used in Poland, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.

The story follows the four British Pevensie siblings, who are evacuated during the Blitz to the countryside, where they find a wardrobe that leads to the fantasy world of Narnia. There, they must ally with the lion Aslan against the forces of the White Witch, who has placed Narnia in an eternal winter.

The film was released theatrically on 9 December 2005 and on DVD on 4 April 2006 and grossed over $745 million worldwide.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Prince Caspian, based on the 1951 novel of the same title, is the second film in the series and the last distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

The story follows the same Pevensie children who were transported to Narnia in the previous film as they return to Narnia, where 1,300 years have passed and the land has been invaded by the Telmarines. The four Pevensie children aid Prince Caspian in his struggle for the throne against his corrupt uncle, King Miraz.

The film was released on 16 May 2008. It grossed $419 million worldwide.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the 1952 novel of the same title, is the first film in the series not to be co-produced by Disney, who dropped out over a budget dispute with Walden Media. In January 2009, it was announced that Fox 2000 Pictures would replace Disney for future installments, but because of the acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney now owns the rights to all films. Directed by Michael Apted, the movie was filmed almost entirely in Australia.

The story follows the two younger Pevensie children as they return to Narnia with their cousin, Eustace Scrubb. They join Caspian, now king of Narnia, in his quest to rescue seven lost lords and save Narnia from a corrupting evil that resides on a dark island. [6]

The film was released on 10 December 2010 (in RealD 3D in select theatres) and grossed over $415 million worldwide.

Main cast

Children

Other main characters

Table of the recurring cast

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  C indicates a cameo role.
  •  O indicates an older version of the character.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
Role The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Children

Lucy Pevensie Georgie Henley
Rachael Henley O
Georgie Henley
Edmund Pevensie Skandar Keynes
Mark Wells O
Skandar Keynes
Peter Pevensie William Moseley
Noah Huntley O
William MoseleyWilliam Moseley C
Susan Pevensie Anna Popplewell
Sophie Winkleman O
Anna PopplewellAnna Popplewell C

Other main characters

Aslan Liam Neeson V
Jadis the White Witch Tilda Swinton Tilda Swinton C
Prince Caspian X Ben Barnes
Reepicheep Eddie Izzard V Simon Pegg V

Crew

RoleFilm
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
200520082010
Director(s) Andrew Adamson Michael Apted
Producer(s) Mark Johnson & Phillip SteuerMark Johnson, Andrew Adamson & Phillip Steuer
Writer(s)Ann Peacock, Andrew Adamson, Stephen McFeely & Christopher Markus Andrew Adamson, Stephen McFeely & Christopher Markus Michael Petroni, Stephen McFeely & Christopher Markus
Composer(s) Harry Gregson-Williams David Arnold
Cinematographer(s) Donald McAlpine Karl Walter Lindenlaub Dante Spinotti
Editor(s)Jim May & Sim Evan-JonesSim Evan-JonesRick Shaine
U.S. release date9 December 200516 May 200810 December 2010
Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 20th Century Fox

Reception

Box office performance

The series grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, but critical and commercial reception diminished with each film.

FilmRelease dateBox office grossAll-time rankingBudgetReference
North AmericaOther territoriesWorldwideNorth AmericaWorldwide
The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeDecember 9, 2005$291,710,957$453,302,158$745,013,1157886$180 million [7]
Prince CaspianMay 16, 2008$141,621,490$278,044,078$419,665,568363236$225 million [8]
The Voyage of the Dawn TreaderDecember 10, 2010$104,386,950$311,299,267$415,686,217621238$155 million [9]
Total$537,719,397$1,042,645,503$1,580,364,900$560 million [10] [11]

Critical response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore [12]
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe75% (217 reviews) [13] 75 (39 reviews) [14] A+
Prince Caspian66% (194 reviews) [15] 62 (34 reviews) [16] A-
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader50% (167 reviews) [17] 53 (33 reviews) [18] A-

Future

The Silver Chair

After Walden Media's contract of the series' film rights expired in 2011, The C. S. Lewis Company announced on 1 October 2013 that it had entered into an agreement with The Mark Gordon Company to produce an adaptation of the 1953 novel The Silver Chair . Mark Gordon and Douglas Gresham, along with Vincent Sieber, the Los Angeles based director of The C. S. Lewis Company, would serve as producers and work with The Mark Gordon Company on developing the script. [5] On 5 December 2013, it was announced that David Magee would write the screenplay. [19] In July 2014, the official Narnia website allowed the opportunity for fans to suggest names for the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the main antagonist. The winning name was to be selected by Mark Gordon and David Magee for use in the final script of The Silver Chair. [20]

The film's producers have called the film a reboot in reference to the fact that the film has a new creative team not associated with those who worked on the previous three films. [21] [22] On 9 August 2016, it was announced that Sony's TriStar Pictures and Entertainment One was set to finance and distribute the fourth film with The Mark Gordon Company (which eOne owns) and The C. S. Lewis Company. [23] In April 2017, it was announced that Joe Johnston had been hired to direct The Silver Chair. [24] During an interview with Red Carpet News TV, producer Mark Gordon revealed scarce details about the new technologies and setting that would be used for the upcoming film. [25]

Possible Netflix reboot

On 3 October 2018, it was announced that Netflix and the C. S. Lewis Company had made a multi-year agreement to develop a new series of film and TV adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia. [26] With this announcement, all previously announced plans for The Silver Chair were superseded. [27] [28] [29] [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> Series of childrens fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in The Horse and His Boy, the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by the lion Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in The Magician's Nephew to its eventual destruction in The Last Battle.

<i>Prince Caspian</i> Childrens fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, 1951

Prince Caspian is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1951. It was the second published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956), and Lewis had finished writing it in 1949, before the first book was out. It is volume four in recent editions of the series, sequenced according to the internal chronology of the books. Like the others, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.

<i>The Silver Chair</i> 1953 childrens fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis

The Silver Chair is a children's portal fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1953. It was the fourth published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956); it is volume six in recent editions, which are sequenced according to Narnian history. Like the others, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Witch</span> Fictional sorceress

Jadis is a fictional character and the main antagonist of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and The Magician's Nephew (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, The Chronicles of Narnia. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as she is the Witch who froze Narnia in the Hundred Years Winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Pevensie</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan. Also, of all the humans who have visited Narnia, Lucy is perhaps the one that believes in Narnia the most. She is ultimately crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant, co-ruler of Narnia along with her two brothers and her sister. Lucy is the central character of the four siblings in the novels. Lucy is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a minor character in two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe

Peter Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Peter appears in three of the seven books; as a child and a principal character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Last Battle. He is mentioned in The Horse and His Boy, in which he is away on the northern frontier fighting giants, and in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in which he is studying under the tutelage of Professor Kirke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Pevensie</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Susan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Susan is the elder sister and the second eldest Pevensie child. She appears in three of the seven books—as a child in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Horse and His Boy. She is also mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Last Battle. During her reign at the Narnian capital of Cair Paravel, she is known as Queen Susan the Gentle or Queen Susan of the Horn. She was the only Pevensie that survived the train crash on Earth which sent the others to Narnia after The Last Battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Edmund Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a lesser character in two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Adamson</span> New Zealand filmmaker (born 1966)

Andrew Ralph Adamson is a New Zealand film director, producer, screenwriter and animator. He is best known for directing the DreamWorks animated films Shrek (2001) and its sequel Shrek 2 (2004), both based on the book of the same name by William Steig. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Shrek 2. He also directed and co-wrote the live-action film adaptations of C. S. Lewis's novels, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and its sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> 2005 film by Andrew Adamson

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 high fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ann Peacock and the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The film is the first installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady of the Green Kirtle</span> Fictional witch or sorceress, antagonist of The Silver Chair (Narnia, book 4)

The Lady of the Green Kirtle, also called Queen of Underland and Queen of the Deep Realm, is the main antagonist in The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis. She enslaved Prince Rilian of Narnia and a horde of gnomes by her witchcraft, and planned to use them to take over Narnia. She is foiled by three friends of Aslan: Eustace Scrubb, Jill Pole, and Puddleglum, and is finally killed by Rilian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Table</span> Fictional location in The Chronicles of Narnia

In C. S. Lewis's fantasy novel series the Chronicles of Narnia, the hill of the Stone Table, or Aslan's How, is a high mound or cairn, located south of the Great River in Narnia next to the Great Woods. The How was built over the hill of the Stone Table. The word how derives from the Old Norse haugr, meaning hill or mound. In parts of England, it is a synonym for barrow.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> (TV series) British childrens television series (1988–1990)

The Chronicles of Narnia is a British BBC-produced television series that was aired from 13 November 1988 to 23 December 1990 and is based on four books of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. The first series aired was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988, the second series aired was Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 1989 and the third series aired was The Silver Chair in 1990. This television series was produced by Paul Stone, with the teleplay by Alan Seymour. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was directed by Marilyn Fox, while Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair were directed by Alex Kirby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramandu's daughter</span> Fictional character in Narnia

Ramandu's daughter, also known as Lilliandil in the 2010 film version of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is a fictional character from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Introduced in the 1952 book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, she aids Caspian X and the crew of Dawn Treader to break an enchantment on three of the Seven Great Lords of Narnia. Eventually she becomes Queen of Narnia, after marrying Caspian X, and bears his son, Rilian. In the 1953 novel The Silver Chair, the Lady of the Green Kirtle, in the form of a snake, kills her though she later reappears in the 1956 book The Last Battle. The character appears in adaptations of the book series; the television serial The Chronicles of Narnia, where she is portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar, and The Chronicles of Narnia film series, where Laura Brent plays the role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aslan</span> Fictional lion, a deity in The Chronicles of Narnia

Aslan is a major character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion and is described as the King of Beasts, the son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, and the King above all High Kings in Narnia.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i> 2010 film by Michael Apted

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a 2010 high fantasy adventure film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Michael Petroni, based on the 1952 novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published and fifth chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), it is the third and final installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. It is the only film in the series not to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which was replaced by 20th Century Fox. However, Disney would eventually own the rights to all the films in the series following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019.

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages. Written by Lewis between 1949 and 1954, illustrated by Pauline Baynes and published in London between October 1950 and March 1956, The Chronicles of Narnia has been adapted several times, complete or in part, for television, radio, the stage, film, in audio books, and as video games.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Narnia:

Magical creatures are an important aspect of the fictional world of Narnia contained within The Chronicles of Narnia book series and connected media originally created by C. S. Lewis. Throughout the seven books of the series, the protagonists encounter a variety of these creatures as they travel throughout Narnia and the surrounding lands and seas, including Archenland, Calormen, and the Great Eastern Ocean.

References

Footnotes

  1. His general dislike of cinema is seen in Collected Letters, Vol. 2, a letter to his brother Warren on March 3, 1940, p. 361; see also All My Road Before Me, June 1, 1926, p. 405

Citations

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  2. Moring, Mark (April 7, 2011). "The Lion, the Witch, and the Box Office". Christianity Today. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  3. "'Narnia': Walden, Fox in discussions on 'The Magician's Nephew'". Inside movies. EW. 23 Oct 2011.
  4. "Gresham Shares Plans for Next Narnia Film". Narnia Web. May 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Fourth "Chronicles of Narnia" Movie in Works from Mark Gordon Co". Deadline. Oct 2013.
  6. Alexonx (10 November 2010). "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader-Spectacular trailer". filmissimo.it. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
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  12. "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
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  19. "'Narnia' Sequel Taps David Magee to Write Script". The Wrap . 5 July 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  20. "Enter The Silver Chair Movie Contest!". Narnia.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  21. Foutch, Haleigh (12 January 2016). "Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair to Reboot the Franchise". Collider. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  22. Trendacosta, Katharine (12 January 2016). "With This Chronicles of Narnia News, the Word 'Reboot' Is Officially Gibberish". io9. Gawker Media. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  23. Fleming, Mike Jr. (9 August 2016). "TriStar, Mark Gordon & eOne Revive 'The Chronicles Of Narnia' With 'The Silver Chair'". Deadline. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  24. Kroll, Justin (26 April 2017). "'Captain America' Director Joe Johnston Boards 'Narnia' Revival 'The Silver Chair'". Variety. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  25. Casiple, Necta (11 October 2017). "'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair' update: Mark Gordon drops teasers about setting and visual effects". Christian Today. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  26. Otterson, Joe (October 3, 2018). "'Chronicles of Narnia' Series, Films in the Works at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
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  28. Hibberd, James (3 October 2018). "The Chronicles of Narnia being made into new movies by Netflix". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  29. Schwartz, Terri (June 12, 2019). "Netflix's Chronicles of Narnia Reboot Hires Its 'Creative Architect'". IGN. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  30. Labonte, Rachel (11 May 2020). "Narnia Producer Hopes Reboot is Episodic But Hasn't Heard From Netflix". Screen Rant. Retrieved 19 February 2021.